REALISM: CHARACTERISTICS, REPRESENTATIVES AND THEIR WORKS - ART - 2025

The realism was, after Romanticism and Naturalism before artistic movement originated in France in the middle of the nineteenth century. This movement arose in approximately 1850, after the Revolution of 48, in the form of protests for the working conditions and quality of life that were faced at that time.

This current is closely related to Romanticism since, although the artists who gave rise to realism took the previous current as inspiration, its background was totally opposite to Romanticism: the artists were opposed to embellishing reality and continuing to represent aspects From the past.

Self-portrait of Gustave Courbet, the highest representative of realism. Source: Gustave Courbet

The main objective of realism was to capture in his works aspects of the daily life of that moment. Elements of a social nature stood out - such as the long hours of hard work that even women and children had to carry out in industries - as well as the kind of life that the elite of the bourgeoisie enjoyed.

The works made within this movement take special care towards the details of the objects that are represented: their textures, lighting, shadows and volume, and above all, the purpose was to represent people as detailed and real as possible.

Gustave Courbet is considered the father of realism, since it was he who made a statement about realism for the first time through a manifesto. This artist named his first solo exhibition The Realism Pavilion.

Historic context

Realism emerged after the Revolution of 1848. This action caused discomfort in the people because it was considered that it had failed, since the Second French Empire was later established.

The causes for which the French Revolution was fought were buried by economic and social interests; a great discontent was generated in society and, with this, an awakening in the artists of the time, who showed sensitivity towards political and social issues.

Industrialization was the cause of handicraft work being largely abandoned, and as a lot of labor was required in the industries, both men, women and children were forced to work long hours.

Society was in decline due to the deterioration in working conditions and quality of life, so the artists of the time decided to use their art as a means through which to express criticism of the new way of life that had to be put up with.

In addition to representing everyday life for criticism, the artists tried to represent this reality in the most objective way possible, without making allusions to canons of beauty such as those imposed in Romanticism, or making allusion to the past; they only sought to capture the day to day.

characteristics

- I sought to represent the situations of everyday life in the most objective way possible, without embellishing or distorting it in any way.

- Despite having a certain influence of Romanticism, he opposed this current because he sought to put aside the ideals and egocentricity associated with it. Her intention was more direct, less ornate.

- The main themes to be dealt with throughout the works were associated with life in the countryside and exploitation. This responded to the reality that most of the citizens lived at that time.

- It served as the basis of inspiration for several later currents, among which naturalism stands out.

- Many of the works belonging to this movement were criticized for addressing situations that were very ordinary, without trying to distort, transform or improve reality.

- The purpose of this movement was purely social: to convey the precarious and unfavorable way in which many people lived at the time when Realism emerged. It also showed the kind of life that the wealthy classes of the time led.

- The representation of human bodies sought to be done in such a way that they looked as real as possible. Characteristic of this movement is the use of different techniques that will favor the presence of extremely careful and realistic details.

- There was an adequate handling of the volume of the objects represented through the use of sophisticated techniques of light, shadows and color, both in the pictorial creations and in the sculptures.

Representatives and their works

-Painting

Edouard Manet

He was a French painter born in Paris on January 23, 1832. His interest in art began when he began studying in Thomas Couture's studio with the permission of his parents, but six years after being under the teachings of this painter, decided to leave the workshop.

He liked visiting museums to copy works by various artists such as Rembrandt, Goya, Courbet and others, so in 1853 he began to travel through Europe, specifically towards Italy, Germany, Spain, Austria and the Netherlands, to continue copying the paintings of great artists and polish their training.

In October 1863 he married Suzanne Leenhoff, a renowned Dutch pianist of the time, and two years later he traveled to Spain again. On this trip he met an artist who later was a great influence for him: Diego Velázquez.

Manet never devoted himself to teaching or had apprentices, except for a young woman whom he took in as a disciple in 1869, Eva Gonzales, who continued her training in painting and became an artist after receiving the teachings of Manet and Charles Joshua Chaplin.

In 1880 he began to suffer health problems from a chronic circulatory disease. Three years later his left leg had to be amputated as a result of this disease, and he became ill with gangrene. He died on April 30, 1883 in Paris at the age of 51.

Plays

Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe (1863)

This oil painting is also known as Picnic Lunch. It is currently in the Musée d'Orsay (Paris).

Olympia (1863)

It is an oil painting on canvas that caused a lot of controversy, since it was one of the first realistic nudes. Manet worked on this work to present it in 1863 at the Salon des Refusés, but was unable to exhibit it until 1865 at the Paris Salon. It is currently in the Musée d'Orsay.

The Balcony (1869)

It represents the life of the bourgeoisie and is inspired by a painting by Francisco de Goya: Las majas en el balcony. Like most of her works, it remains in Paris, in the Musée d'Orsay.

A bar aux Folies Bergère (1882)

This work, oil on canvas, was the last artistic piece made by Manet before his death. He painted it in 1882 and that same year it was exhibited at the Paris Salon. Its location since 1932 is at the Courtauld Gallery (London).

Gustave Courbet

He was born in Ornans, France, on June 10, 1819. He was a painter and revolutionary, considered the highest representative of realism.

Until his 20 years he remained in his hometown. At that age he moved to Paris to work at the Swiss Academy and train in painting. In addition to receiving lessons from artists such as the French Charles de Steuben, he also devoted himself to copying the paintings of famous painters whose works were exhibited in the Louvre Museum.

He liked to paint landscapes, especially of his people, portraits and nudes; However, he was against certain aspects of Romanticism and Neoclassicism, so in 1848 he raised a manifesto against these tendencies with Max Bouchon.

Courbet was interested in depicting aspects of everyday life, household chores, workers' lives, and outdoor activities, and was severely criticized for depicting situations that were considered very ordinary.

In 1855 his works were exhibited at the Universal Exposition in Paris, but after seeing that they did not obtain the acceptance that he desired, he decided to inaugurate his own exhibition named The Realism Pavilion, which was located near the Champ de Mars.

In February 1871 the Paris commune appointed him as director of museums, but that same year he was dismissed and imprisoned since he was charged with the responsibility of the demolition of the Vendôme column, a great symbol of Napoleon Bonaparte.

After having spent 6 months in jail totally deprived of liberty, in 1873 he decided to go into exile in Switzerland. He fell into the vice of alcohol and almost completely moved away from art. On December 31, 1877, he died of cirrhosis of the liver in La Tour-de-Peliz, Switzerland.

Plays

Burial at Ornans (1849)

It is one of the paintings that most strongly represents Courbet's style. It was painted in oil on canvas and is currently in the Musée d'Orsay.

The stonecutters (1849)

It was first exhibited in 1850 at the Paris Salon and was a representation of social realism. This painting was lost during the Second World War.

The Wheat Sifters (1853)

Made with oil paint, in this painting by Courbet his sisters were models. It is currently housed in the Nantes Museum of Fine Arts.

The Meeting (1854)

This oil painting depicts Courbet himself greeted by his patron, his servant and his dog as he traveled to Montpellier, on a bright, sunny day setting. At present this work is in the Fabre Museum (Montpellier).

The Painter's Workshop (1855)

This oil on canvas painting is very famous, as it was the main work with which Courbet opened his solo exhibition, The Pavilion of Realism, in 1855. It currently remains in the Musée d'Orsay.

-Sculpture

Auguste Rodin

Auguste Rodin was a French sculptor born in Paris on November 12, 1840. Coming from a humble family, from an early age he showed an interest in art and began his training at the Congrégation des frères de la doctrine chrétienne de Nancy in 1848.

Two years later he left this school and until 1854 he attended one in Beauvais, but at the age of 14 he was transferred to the Petite École, where he could formally begin his training in drawing under the teaching of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran.

For several years Rodin had the intention of entering the School of Fine Arts but, although he tried repeatedly, he never succeeded. However, this was not an impediment for the young man to continue his training, as he began to take an interest in sculpture and painting and went to the Louvre Museum to practice his techniques.

In 1857 he participated as an assistant to Georges-Eugène Haussmann in the reconstruction of Paris and began to make decorative sculptures. Years later, this activity became his livelihood.

It is considered that his first great work was Saint John the Baptist preaching, and after this came a time of great inspiration for Rodin, in which he made The Kiss, The Gates of Hell, The Burghers of Calais and The Thinker, among others.

On November 17, 1917, he died in Meudon, shortly after the death of his former wife, Rose Beuret.

Plays

The Thinker (1880)

It is one of the most famous sculptures of the artist. It was made in bronze and is currently in the Rodin Museum (Paris). There are more than 20 different versions of this work in museums around the world.

The Kiss (1882)

It is a marble sculpture inspired by Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy. It is one of Rodin's most representative sculptures, which is currently in the Rodin Museum (Paris).

Saint John the Baptist (1888)

Rodin's second life-size sculpture, made of bronze. In this work you can see Saint John the Baptist completely naked, preaching. It is currently in the Rodin Museum.

The Burghers of Calais (1889)

This sculpture was inaugurated in Calais, where it still stands. It is a monument of recognition to six men who, at the beginning of the Hundred Years War, voluntarily surrendered to the English to prevent the destruction and mistreatment of their city and the rest of its inhabitants.

References

1. Fernier, R. (2001). Gustave Courbet. Retrieved May 13 from Encyclopedia Britannica: britannica.com
2. (2016). Pictorial realism, a unique way of approaching reality. Recovered on May 13 from the Master's Degree in Art Project and Research. Miguel Hernández University: masterbellasartes.edu.umh.es
3. (sf). Courbet expresses himself. Retrieved on May 13 from the Musée d'Orsay: musee-orsay.fr
4. (sf). Édouard Manet. Retrieved May 13 from The Art Institute of Chicago: artic.edu
5. (sf). Gustave Courbet. Retrieved on May 13 from Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza: museothyssen.org
6. (sf). The kiss: Auguste Rodin (1840 - 1917). Retrieved on May 13 from the Rodin Museum: musee-rodin.fr
7. (sf). The thinker: Auguste Rodin (1840 - 1917). Retrieved on May 13 from the Rodin Museum: musee-rodin.fr